Comic-book Archie to die, shot saving gay friend

The freckle-faced redhead's high-school hijinx with Jughead, Betty and Veronica will continue in the "Archie" comic-book line, but he will die heroically — saving a gay friend from an assassination attempt — in the more adult comic book that moved the characters beyond high school to a more complex life in the modern world.

Kevin Keller, Archie Comics' first openly gay character, first appeared in the Archie Comics spin-off "Veronica" in 2010, then in his own solo title, the AP reported. In "Life with Archie," he is a married military veteran and newly elected senator who's pushing for more gun control in Riverdale after his husband was involved in a shooting.

Word that Archie would die lit up the Internet in April, giving people time to grieve and/or make one last Betty or Veronica joke. But people were quick with their commentary Monday when the Associated Press reported how Archie would die in Wednesday's edition.